M48 Patton Book Review

First Look

The M48 Patton was a newly developed medium tank from the early 1950s to replace the M26 Pershing and the incremental upgrades/mods that rendered the interim M46 and M47 tanks. Entering service in the mid-1950s, the M48 was pressed into cold war service in Europe as well as more volatile operations in Vietnam. The tank received a major update with the M48A3 which changed the engine over to diesel power and upgraded key systems throughout the tank. Even so, the 90mm main gun was inadequate to counter Soviet tanks of the 1960s and beyond which led to the development of the M60 with its 105mm main gun, but that is a different story.

Author David Doyle as compiled another terrific photo reference that provides not only a concise developmental history of the M48, but also provides many excellent photos of the M48 in operation throughout its life. The majority of the photos are dedicated to a full-color in-depth photo walk around of the M48A3. The coverage concludes with a photo examination of the differences with the updated M48A5.

Whether you're a military historian or armor scale modeler, this title is a great addition to any military library. Definitely recommended!

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